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Saturday November 24, 2012 7:20 AM

Sometimes, when the house is quiet, I notice the chime of my antique wall clock striking the
hour and can’t help smiling.

A few weeks before my 30th birthday, my parents asked me to meet them in the Champaign County
town of Mutual.

I didn’t know what awaited me, but the address they had given me took me to a modest home with a
sign out front: Dixon Clocks.My parents had already arrived, and I was led to the basement, where
the walls boasted all types of antique clocks ticking and chiming.

Mr. Dixon, a lovely man, repaired, restored and sold clocks.

Pointing to a section of one wall, Mom told me to pick the one I wanted.

Wow, I had a hard time deciding.We looked at them all, and Mr. Dixon, at my request, made each
one chime.

I eventually settled on a German Swinger — not the best-looking clock but my choice for its tone
and quality. In some ways, it reminded me of the chime on Orton Hall at Ohio State University.

Mom and I share a love of antiques, so the clock was special.

The gift wasn’t in honor of my 30th birthday; it was to mark my graduation from OSU.

I grew up in the Shelby County village of Anna in a family of modest means, but my twin sisters
and I didn’t necessarily realize as much. Our mom instilled in us a desire for education, and we
were expected to go to college — which never seemed out of reach.

My sisters and I were the first in our family to attend college.Nowadays, we would be called “
first-generation” students and could rely on ample support and services to help with the
transition.

Before I finished my undergraduate degree, at age 22, I dropped out of OSU — a crushing blow
but, in retrospect, the best decision for me at the time.

I spent a few years in the work force and, with the support of my partner, got my act together.
Realizing that I needed to finish college, I mapped out a plan and saw that finishing my degree at
night while working full time would take me two to three years.

One day, my 27-year-old self complained: “Mom, do you know how old I am going to be when I
finally finish college?”

Her reply: “How old are you going to be if you don’t go back to college? The time will go by
anyway, and you won’t have anything to show for it.”

Practical advice from a practical woman.

I did go back to school, earning an accounting degree while also working. I graduated a couple
of weeks before my 30th birthday.

On graduation day, I opened my gift and exhibited the appropriate enthusiasm. (Some of the
excitement was gone, naturally, because I knew what I was getting.)

For the benefit of our guests, I had someone hold the clock while I demonstrated the chime. I
opened the glass door to force the clock face to the hour and, to my surprise, saw a brass
plate.

Engraved on it were not only my name and degree but also the words “Time Goes By Anyway.”

With an advanced degree she later obtained, Marsha Watkins, 52, of Plain City works for the OSU
Office of Extended Education.